Kenya’s Digital Future is Being Held Hostage by County-Level Bureaucracy

At the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, the big tech conversation wasn’t about new gadgets or AI hype. Instead, the elephant in the room was painfully familiar: siloed operations, inconsistent policies, and endless regulatory hurdles that are slowing down broadband rollout across Kenya’s 47 counties.

Think about it. How do we expect seamless internet when national government says one thing, counties insist on another, and telcos are left playing referee? It’s like trying to build a highway when every county insists cars must drive on a different side of the road. Chaos.

Why Counties Matter in the Digital Puzzle

Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Stephen Isaboke, reminded everyone that digital infrastructure isn’t just a technical checkbox. It’s a national imperative. Counties are increasingly launching digital projects, some smart, some experimental. But unless these align with the National ICT Policy 2020, we’ll end up with duplicated apps, incompatible systems, and wasted taxpayer shillings.

His call? More synergy, less showmanship. “Together, we can pool expertise and investment to expand broadband access and digital services efficiently,” he said. Translation: stop working in silos, team up, and maybe we’ll actually get affordable internet in West Pokot before 2030.

The Communications Authority (CA) didn’t mince words either. Director General David Mugonyi, through Eng. Leo Boruett, pointed out that while Nairobi brags of the highest internet usage, some counties are still struggling in single digits—West Pokot sits at 9.1%. That’s not just a gap, it’s a digital canyon.

If you’ve been following Techish, this shouldn’t shock you. Remember our recent breakdown of the Kenya Housing Survey? Only 0.6% of rural households have fixed internet. Just 0.6%! Nairobi may argue over which ISP has the fastest fibre, but for most rural homes, fibre is as mythical as unicorns.

And yet, demand is surging. Smartphone adoption, mobile money use, and even the gig economy are booming. Young Kenyans aged 18–34 are digital-first, with over 80% owning a phone. But when your county government prioritizes new office blocks over broadband towers, how do you bridge that digital divide?

The Laundry List of County-Level Headaches

Service providers laid it bare:

• Complicated, inconsistent county licensing rules.
• Land wrangles and local politics slowing down site acquisition.
• Misinformation driving community resistance (“masts cause cancer” is still a thing).
• Poor road and power infrastructure in rural setups.
• And yes, theft and vandalism of ICT infrastructure.

Each of these setbacks translates into delayed projects, higher costs, and eventually slower, more expensive internet for you and me.

So What’s the Fix?

The CA says it’s ready to work hand in hand with the Council of Governors to streamline county-level processes. The Technology Service Providers of Kenya’s (TESPOK) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fiona Asonga added that counties need to embrace their role as facilitators, not blockers, of ICT deployment.

This isn’t just a “nice to have.” Without structured collaboration, Kenya risks building two digital economies: a Nairobi-and-Kiambu bubble where internet speeds rival Dubai’s, and a rural Kenya still battling with poor network signals and data bundles that expire before they’re even useful.

Why This Matters to You

If you’re reading this on fibre in Nairobi, you’re in the privileged tier. But scroll just a few counties west, and connectivity isn’t just slow. It’s scarce. This divide threatens not just Netflix streams but bigger things: digital education, online jobs, and access to government services that are increasingly moving online.

The dream of a “digitally connected Kenya” is still alive, but as the Homa Bay conference made clear, it’s going to take counties and the national government singing from the same hymn sheet. Until then, Kenyans will continue living in two worlds: one where internet is a utility, and another where it’s a luxury.